|
Sandals Royal Hicacos Resort & Spa 05/09/2003
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
My wife and I just spent a week at the fairly new Sandals Royal Hicacos Resort & Spa in Varadero, Cuba. The 5-star rating given by most tour operators ñ including the most discerning ones such as Air Canada Vacations and Signature Vacations ñ is, according to us, well deserved. It is a resort that we would highly recommend, especially given the value you get for your money. Indeed, given the level of service and the overall quality of the resort, we expect the rates to go up considerably in the years to come.
Arrival and check-in
After a direct flight from Moncton, New Brunswick, on Skyservice Airlines, we arrived at Varadero Airport around 9:30 pm. After clearing customs and stepping outside the airport, we found the Conquest Vacations representative along with a Sandals representative. We were whisked away on a bus to the Sandals Resort along with four other couples (Sandals has its own transportation, which means you donít have to pit-stop at every other resort). Check-in was fast and efficient, and champagne was served as we filled out our registration cards. We were then escorted to our rooms, and our luggage arrived shortly after. We immediately left the room to visit this beautiful resort.
The resort
First and foremost, the resort is beautiful and just the perfect size: not too big, not too small. Once completed, it will have a total of 407 rooms. During our stay there, about 40 rooms had yet to be completed, and only 250 were occupied.
Divided into several 3-story buildings, the rooms are located to the east and west of the main reception area. Within that central area, youíll find the reception area (which is quite small but very nice), the huge lobby bar (called ìEl Miradorî), the main building (which houses the buffet ìHicacosî, the Italian restaurant ìDon Pasqualeî, the seafood restaurant ìLas Morlasî, the piano bar ìLas Nubesî, the nightclub ìVaraderoísî as well as several shops and services), the pool (as well as the pool bar, connected to ìEl Mirador), the fitness area, the wedding area, the open-air amphitheatre and the Caribbean restaurant ìEl Caribeî (in a separate building). The other restaurant, the beach grill ìEl Viejo y el Marî, is located directly on the beach.
There is also a huge pool along with a smaller pool where the pool bar is located. We never had any problem finding chairs around the pool.
The rooms
The Garden View Rooms are spacious and nicely appointed. All have a separate living area with sofa and chair, a fridge, a nice king-sized bed, a huge bathroom with double bath and separate toilet. The balconies are fairly large. As for the housekeeping service, we found it to be very efficient: our room was cleaned by 10:00 every morning and our bed decorated with all kinds of magnificent ìtowel artî. All in all, the room includes all the basics: air conditioning, hair dryer, am/fm clock radio, coffee maker, telephone, ceiling fan, satellite TV, in-room safes, iron and ironing board, and amenity kits (shampoo, conditioner, etc.).
The restaurants and bars
Restaurants
One of the highlights of the resort is the food. For those of you who found that Cuban resorts offer bland and tasteless food, youíve obviously not stayed at Sandals. First, there is the buffet, called ìHicacosî, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For breakfast, there is a wide and varied selection of food: eggs, omelettes, breads, sausage, bacon, potatoes, cold meats, smoked salmon, fish, cheeses, yoghurt, pastries, fruit, fresh juices, coffee, etc. We had breakfast there everyday and never got tired of the food. We only ate there once for dinner (on our last night as we were pressed for time), but we were pleasantly surprised with the selection and, above all, the quality of the food: lobster, shrimp, snapper, mussels, scallops, salmon, beef, turkey, lamb, rice, potatoes, breads, pasta, etc. The desserts were also very good. All in all, itís by far the best buffet weíve seen at an all-inclusive resort in terms of quality and choice. And the service is impeccable.
The Italian restaurant ìDon Pasqualeî was our least favourite, although the food and service were very good. We recommend the pasta (and the beef, from what weíve heard) over the chicken, which is rather bland. Their pizzas, however, are fabulous! The restaurant is also open for lunch and late at night for snacks (pizza, etc.). Except for dinner, no reservations are required.
The Caribbean restaurant ìEl Caribeî is wonderful all-around. Located in a separate building, the restaurant is very nicely decorated and quite romantic. We ate there twice, and were extremely pleased with the service, the ambiance (especially the private serenades) and, of course, the food. We recommend the braised pork, the spicy Jerk chicken, as well as the tasty appetizers. Reservations are required.
The seafood restaurant ìLas Morlasî was also one our favourites. Small with a nice, romantic ambiance (again with live music), the restaurant has a varied menu and impeccable service. We recommend the salmon with curry (as an appetizer), as well as the snapper and seafood symphony (for entr饳). We ate there twice and would have returned had we stayed two weeks. Reservations are required.
As for the beach grill ìEl Viejo y el Marî (which translates into ìThe Old Man and the Seaî), we found the food and service to be, once again, outstanding. Apart from the breathtaking setting (outside, directly on the beach, under a huge palapa), the ambiance is very pleasant and a bit more rustic and relaxed. We suggest going at sunset as the views are spectacular. We would recommend the surf and turf, the grilled lobster being the highlight of the meal. Reservations are required.
Bars
The ìEl Viejo y el Marî and ìEl Caribeî restaurants both have bars that serve a wide selection of drinks. Apart from that, youíll find the ìLas Nubesî piano bar in the main building (which we enjoyed as it was small and air-conditioned) as well as the huge lobby bar called ìEl Miradorî located in a very nice, open-air, thatched-roof building in the centre of the resort. We found this to be the most relaxing bar. The setting and the decor are very nice, and the oversized plush chairs very comfortable. We felt as if we were in Bali or Phuket! The bar itself, located at the west side of the building, also serves as a pool bar, the only area we avoided given that it seemed to attract a crowd of ìregularsî and somewhat more intoxicated people, although, in general, this is certainly not a resort for loud and abrasive party animals. As for the night club ìVaraderoísî, it is opened until 3:00 am. We did not attend. Finally, as for the selection of drinks, the choice is endless. As opposed to most other resorts, Sandals offers all top and premium brands.
The beach
The beach is without a doubt another one of the highlights of this resort. The sand is fine and white, the sea a turquoise blue and the waves small and gentle. The beach is lined with palm trees and dotted with numerous palapas, which means that you wonít have to wake up at 6:00 am to reserve a palapa as is the case in numerous resorts. To the east of the beach is the Paradisus Varadero (another stunning 5-star resort worth visiting), beyond which the coast becomes rocky for several kilometres. To the west, you can easily walk to the next resorts (Beaches, Iberostar, etc.). Even the Meliᠣomplex of hotels and shopping centre can be seen from the beach.
Activities and entertainment
There is an endless array of water sports and land sports for those interested: parasailing, water-skiing, sailboats, banana boats, windsurfing, kayaking, paddle-boats, snorkelling, scuba diving, aerobics, volleyball, dancing lessons, Spanish lessons, tennis, lawn chess, pool tables, squash courts, shuffle board, ping-pong, internet service, etc.). Night-time activities include shows at the amphitheatre (which were mediocre, as is the case in all resorts), singing at the lobby bar (very enjoyable and relaxing), the piano bar ìLas Nubesî, and the nightclub, which is open until 3:00 am. We found the lobby bar ìEl Miradorî to be enjoyable at night. It is also worth talking at stroll for a drink at the beach grill ìEl Viejo y el Marî. As they are both open air, there is always a refreshing breeze.
The weather
We had nice weather all week: it was mostly sunny for the first three days, mostly cloudy with rain on the fourth day (although the sun did come out at 3:00 pm), and sunny with no clouds in sight for the last three days. On some days, the temperature reached 33 oC with a humidex of 42 oC. We also got a powerful thunderstorm one night and one afternoon.
The staff
We were extremely impressed with the level of service at the resort. From the waiters and bartenders to the chambermaids and front desk staff, everyone seemed to go out their way to be of help to us. We were especially impressed with the restaurant staff, most of whom had obviously received very thorough service training. The same applies for the bar staff in general, with the exception of the lobby bar ìEl Miradorî, which seemed to be slightly understaffed at times. It is, however, easy to understand why some staff members could get exasperated with the unreasonable demands of some unreasonable guests. Also, all hotel staff members speak English (to varying degrees, of course), but we found that knowing Spanish was a great help to us.
Check-out and departure
Check-out was seamless. As our flight left late at night (10:30 pm), a courtesy room was made available to us as of noon (check-out time). We left our luggage there all day and returned before dinner to shower and get ready. For a fee of $50 US, it is possible to keep your room until departure provided rooms are available. Our shuttle to the airport left on time, and 30 minutes later we were at the Juan Gomez International Airport checking-in for our return flight home. Much to our surprise, our flight left one full hour early, which means that we arrived in Moncton one hour earlyÖ although it was 2:30 am! Kudos to Skyservice for excellent service and on-time performance.
Overall impression
All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Sandals Royal Hicacos Resort & Spa. We would not hesitate to return or recommend the resort to others. All of the guests we talked to seemed to be very impressed with the resort, and some were even planning a return trip in the near future. Some guests who had stayed at the other few 5-star hotels in the Varadero area (such as the neighbouring Paradisus Varadero and the Melia Las Am鲩cas) were of the opinion that the SRH was a superior property overall. In our opinion, the resort truly lives up to its 5-star reputation and is without a doubt one of the top properties in Cuba. Sandals really does it better than all the restÖ A+
Matt
|
